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awful

Meaning in simple English, pronunciation and examples

Pronunciation: US /ˈɔfəl/ · UK /ˈɔːfəl/

awful means: Very bad, unpleasant, or upsetting.

adjective

VERY BADA2

Very bad, unpleasant, or upsetting.

  • The food was awful.
  • I felt awful after the journey.
  • What an awful thing to say!

Similar words: terrible, horrible, dreadful

Opposites: wonderful

Common phrases: awful weather, feel awful, awful smell

VERY LARGEB1

Very large in amount or degree.

  • That costs an awful lot.
  • She spent an awful amount of time waiting.
  • We went to an awful lot of trouble.

Similar words: great, enormous

Common phrases: awful lot, awful amount

adverb

EXTREMELYB2

Very or extremely.

  • That was awful kind of you.
  • It gets awful cold here at night.
  • This bag feels awful heavy.

Similar words: very, extremely, awfully

Common phrases: awful nice, awful big, awful good

Questions about awful

What does awful mean?

Very bad, unpleasant, or upsetting.

What is awful in other languages?

Türkçe: berbat · Español: horrible · Français: horrible · Deutsch: schrecklich · Italiano: terribile · 日本語: ひどい

How do you pronounce awful?

In American English /ˈɔfəl/; in British English /ˈɔːfəl/.

How do you use awful in a sentence?

The food was awful. I felt awful after the journey.

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awful in other languages

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